Thursday, August 31, 2006

Yesterday's day of rest was great and much needed. Actually, much more then I realized. I got my tank refilled and was torching again today by noon. Mom was by again to play with the kids, THANKS MOM! I didn't get as much done as I would have liked. Instead, we went to see Andrew's 2nd grade teacher. He has Mrs. Chelini this year, the same teacher Jacob had when he was in 2nd grade. She is just great, I love her. And she asked me to be Room Mom again. I am happy to help. When Jacob had her 2 yrs ago, it was her first year teaching at Ontario Primary. And she brought something new to the school, plays! In 2004 we put on "Finding Nemo" and she intergraded the class activites to go with the play. Each kid picked a fish and studied it. Then they were that character in the play. I made the sets that year too! Cool underwater scenes painted on blue shower curtain liners. Last year I hear she did Madagascar and she is think of doing Cars this year... should be fun.

So what do you think of the latest jewelry? Top pic is earrings, obviously, lol. Just a few of the ones I have been making lately. I like them. They are nothing fancy or over the top. Just a fun POP of color for your ears. Then the "Acorns" bracelet. Again, simple design but a great look. The beads do all the talking. I love this one... the colors are perfect for Fall!

This one I hemmed and haaaed about for a while. I made these beads on one of those days I just couldn't get in a groove. I like 'em but I just don't think they are "me". But the blue is so lush and I like practicing my dots so I went ahead and made it. I am calling it "Blue China". The silver from Shiana LLC is just beautiful, don't ya think?

Click on any of the images and they will take you to a larger view. It is much easier to see all those earrings when the photo is larger.

These ones are a real favorite! They go with my "At the Playground" necklace. Just plain FUN! Love 'em! As for the rest, I have been picking favorite designs in the color combos I have been workign with then making a pair. Toss in a few disks and a couple sterling spacers and you got a great little dangle.

Today's color combo was Ivory, Dk. Turquoise and Transparent Topaz. But as I said, I didn't get all that much made so I will be sticking with that color combo for tomorrow too. It reminds me of cowboys and denim... gonna have to do it in plaid! Who doesn't love a cowboy in flannel?

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I am being forced to take a prep day off. My Mom has a doctor's appointment and Ron is going golfing. Umhp... don't these people realize I need to work! LOL! Just kidding, I could actually really use the break. And in the meantime I will assemble jewelry and order more gas for the torch. Check out the latest... another "Chunky Funky" in brights and one in Fall tones.

And here are the results of yesterday's pink and greens. I love pink and green! These ended up a lot more green then the last batch. I really like how even though I am repeating a color combo, all the beads are still unique. You never get the same set twice. I like that! So the current neckwire count is 12 and bangles is 7. I am getting there, huh?

I didn't get as many Raku & Ivory done last night as I would have liked. But I did get a bunch. I ended up doing ovals. I am not sure why, just thought I would see how they looked. I got some cool greens in these. I can never tell how the colors will strike, it is just one of those things I am still trying to learn to do consistantly. But I do like the unconsistant result, sometimes, lol. There should be enough here for two new bracelets. I am thinking one wire and one strung. I wanted to etch the disks but I seem to have used up all my etching solution last week! I dropped a few in to the black sludge and when I took them out they were still shiny. But never fear, more etching liquid is on the way! Along with a few pounds of glass rods too.It will be back to prep business as usual tomorrow. I am probably going to pick up a little tank of gas to get some stuff done tonight. I just hate spending $10 on one pound of gas when my 30lb tank is $30. Three times the cost is just nuts!

Okay, who caught Rock Star last night? THE SHOW WAS INCREDIBLE! I can't not even begin to guess who they will send home. Ron is hoping Dilana or Lukas... I just we will just have to wait and see. I love that show... can't stand SuperNova but love those rockers!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I finally took a few minutes to take some quick photos of the bangles and neckwires I have been making with all the beads that have come out of the kiln the past couple of days. First, my favorites, the ink & teal ones. I love these colors. And you can bet that when my glass order arrives next week, I will be making Bead Box beads in these colors. I just love love love them. It is a very gray and rainy day here so it isn't the best photo, but I had to show you something, lol. I am also making lots of earrings too. I am up to about two dozen pairs right now.

The black & white were the beads I made Sunday. I like 'em too. Very neutral, match anything kinda stuff. I am hoping to have around 30 neckwire and at least 20 bangles for next week's show. But I am only up to 5 bangles. It is slow go. Since they each take 5 beads... that is 100 beads for 20 bangles. (Look I can do math, lol) Lots of work .

I did try to make beads last night, I mentioned like some greens and yellows on my desk. Once I finally got out there I was whipped. And just not feeling the colors, so it turned out to be a not so productive evening. The Parents VS Kids soccer match is what did me in. But it was so my fun and definately worth it. I played offense for a bit but then got stuck in as the goalie. There were literally 30 kids to 8 adults. I stopped all the shots on goal, thank you very much. And I got nicknamed "The Boot". I have a very powerful kick for goal kicks. Jacob actually said he thought I wouldn't be any good but I surprised him, lol. Not too many Mom's can kick a soccer ball from the goal past midfield.

Today's color combo was a "safe" one. Pink & Green! Who doesn't love pink & green. You all keep suggesting brown &... colors, but I am out of transparent light brown so I will have to see what I can come up with. I decided that tonight, after Rock Star (GO RYAN!) I am going to have a Raku night. I will make some raku disks, raku nuggets, raku pebbles.... but I said I was out of black didn't I? I am thinking I am gonna do raku & ivory.... I will let you know how it goes. I have to tell you the sweetest thing the kids did today. While I was working and Mom was here playing with them, all a sudden all three where standing behind me was a grill cheese sandwich and a soda. They made me lunch! It was so nice. I am sure my Mom had something to do with it, so THANKS MOM! I gave them each a big thank you hug and kiss.

Time to check on the beads from this morning, dip mandrels for this evening and start dinner. Check ya later!

OH and by the way... I AM LOVING ALL THE POSTING ON THE BLOG! Yoo-hooo! I love it!

Monday, August 28, 2006

This is definately a bracelet that made me go hmmmmm? Last night around 10:45pm I got this sudden idea to string together a whole bunch of beads in lots of different shapes and loads of different colors in to a wildly shaped bracelet. It got so stuck in my head that I couldn't sleep so I went downstairs, fired up the kiln and made some beads. Now these are NOT the colors I originally envisioned. But these rods were already on my desk and I was tired so this is what came out. It is kinda chunky, kinda funky. I could really use your feedback on this one. I don't know if I love it or think it looks like a 5 year old made it, lol. I have been wearing it all day and it looks fine, it's very comforable.

My Mom came by first thing this morning and I got a huge load of beads made. I chose a new color combo. The rods were laying together and I thought, hey... they look good. Unfortuantely, of the 4 colors I chose, I only had 1 rod of two of the colors. I really had to make them stretch. I used transparent ink blue, transparent teal, light turquoise and alabaster nile green. I think you'll love 'em. Seeing that I only had one rod of the turquoise and the alabaster amde me go thru and put in a glass order. Hopefully it is here by the end of the week :) Because I also discovered I am out of black! How did that happen?

Yesterday was very eventful. You maybe wondering what is going on if you read the cryptic message my Mom posted on yesterday's entry. Well, Jacob ran away from home yesterday, sort of. While I was making beads yesterday afternoon, Ron and Jacob were in the house arguing because Jacob decided to call Lauren a baby until she screamed as loud as she can. Ron was trying to get Jacob to stop the teasing and Jacob was being moody and eight years old. So he came outside and said "Mom, I am going for a bike ride". I said fine. We live on a very quiet cal-de-cas street with no traffic. The boys go around our little block at least a dozen times a day, so I thought nothing of it. I finished up a few more beads, went and took a shower, then started helping Ron with dinner. All the while thinking Jaocb was plaing in the backyard and riding around the cicle. Then, the phone rang. It was my Father In Law calling to say Jacob was at their house. I was in SHOCK! They are in the same town as us just about 4 miles away. Jacob told grandma he was very sad and wanted to talk to her. I couldn't believe it! First, Jacob is the oldest, very independant, very smart, trustworthy, and just an all around great kid. This was so totally unexpected. Plus he had to cross 2 major intersections to get there. He really could have got hurt. Ron went a picked him up and we have revoked his bike previledges for the rest of summer. He assures us it won't happen again anytime soon. But man... what a scare it put into us. It is one of those moments as a parents where you are just speechless. And I have to add this... he is such a manipulator... he pulled the wool right over grandma's eyes. Never once mentioning he was in trouble because he was tormenting his sister. No... just that Daddy yelled at him.

On to more cheerful things. Tonight is the last soccer game of the season for Jacob and it's tradition to have a parents vs. kids game. I can't wait... it should be a BLAST! Then I will be torching again when I get home. Tonights colors are already to go. Pea green, transparent emerald and butter yellow. Sounds wierd but looks awesome on my desk! I wll come back tomorrow with more photos for you :)

Today's FREE BEADS winner is.... Jan P! CONGRATS JAN! And thanks again for all your votes gals. I so appreciate it. I heard I was #1 for a few hours this morning when they reset the counter. How EXCITING! I will post the new free beads in just a bit!

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Did you figure out the clue? Did you guess I would be making plaids in a new shape? Well check them out! This is "Silent Cinema Sequel". A set of plaid (obviously) lentils in black white & gray. Is there a more classic color combo? I don't think so. These are just so classy. I love them. The first set of blk wht & gray beads I made I called "Silent Cinema" so as I made these I decided to call these their sequel. I have to say though, I think these BLOW those old ones out of the water. It makes me so proud to see how far I have come in resent months. Even if I do say so myself, lol.

In other news... I was in a fantastic mood this morning and it was enlightened even more when these beads came out of the kiln. I was so excited I cleaned them right away, strung them up and got them photographed. Then as I was online updating the photos, I was on my favorite cyber glass art hang out, www.wetcanvas.com , when I opened up a thead by a fellow glass artist about the October 2006 Bead & Button issue. I was so excited because that is the issue I should be in. I sent her an email asking her to look for me and it turns out that the "Your Work" gallery where my "Silver Lining" necklace should be shown is devoted to the 2006 Bead Dreams winners. I AM NOT IN IT! I am so bummed out! I sent an email to the editors and hopefully I will get news tomorrow that is has just been pushed back an issue. I will let you know. In the meantime my wonderful mood has been completely wiped out.

I am going to make beads all afternoon so I think my mood will improve. Anyway... thank you for all the color combos suggestions that have been pouring in. Awesome ideas people! KEEP THEM COMING!

I hope you'll pop into the new auction later tonight. I have it set to start around the usual time, 9pm est. Bid bid bid! And let me know what you think of it.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Isn't laziness what Saturday's are for? Just hanging out... laying low... not doing much of anything... watching cartoons while eating cocoa puffs... I would like to think they are! LOL! Not quiet what I had in mind for today, though. Today was a bead makin' day for sure. I loaded up the kiln to full capacity this afternoon. I decided to go with a classic Black White & Gray theme. But, being the procrastinator that I am, I made you all a new Ebay set instead of working on beads for the show coming up. But I think you are gonna love these. Here is a little hint about what you'll be bidding on this week... nuggets aren't the only shape plaids look great on.... hmmmm.... ponder that for a bit.

I will be back at the torch again tomorrow. And I have hired my Mom to watch the kids this week like I did right before Cornhill. I started "accessing the situation" today as far as inventory goes and I have to say... I am scared! I knew when I said "the wineries took everything" that there were still a couple things in my case but I was wrong. I literally have only 4 bracelets! YIKES! I have been able to pull together a few great necklaces in the past few days but it is time to buckle down and get in gear. (and every other cliche comment you can think of.) I got to get more done. I would love help from you all... what can you do you ask? Well send me your suggestions for color combos to work in. By the end of the week I won't know what to make so ideas are always a helpful gesture! I will end up torching for a couple hours everyday this up coming week. A few hours in the morning and then again in the evening so I need a couple combos a day! See why I run out of ideas. I have told you before, I usually have time to get "inspired" but in crunch time, I loose all inspiration.. send me your thougths!

Well, I have "Sausage Bread" in the oven and a pan of sauce on the stove for dinner. I better go tend to it! I'll have a new auction photo for you tomorrow!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Who had "Job Jar Days" when they were little? We did all the time. For those of you who don't know what "Job Jar Days" are all about, listen up because they work. And if you have kids, it is a must have boredum diversion tactic. On a "Job Jar Day", the Mom (aka Me) write household jobs on slips of paper and puts them in a jar. Not too many jobs, but not your everyday jobs either. Kids pick jobs one by one until the jar is empty. When all the jobs are done, the kids get a prize!

Today was one of those days around here. Jobs like "wash 6 dirty spots of the wall", "wipe all the door knobs", "line up shoes", "change a pillow case" and "vaccum under the couch cushions" were all in the jar. Jacob, Andrew & Lauren LOVED IT! We are going to a baseball game on Labor Day so the boys were looking for ways to earn spending money. This was the perfect thing. They didn't earn a ton, 25 cents for washing door knobs but it kept everyone entertained most of the morning. Yesterday had been another one of those days where the kids had me grinding my teeth and pulling out my hair. I was determined not to have a repeat of yesterday, so last night I was talking to my Mom and she reminded me about "Job Jar Days" and it worked like a charm. No one was bored and fighting... yoo hoo! As the Mom, you are doing all the jobs right along with them but it doesn't have the dread that normal house work does. For example I was in charge of wringing out the washcloths so Lauren could wipe the cupboard doors. She was saying "Look Mommy there is a spot!" and I would say "Okay, wipe it off!" But money can't be the only reward... when everyone was done we sat down and had a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream too :)

Like I said, yesterday was one of those rotten days that come from being bored and having nothing better to do then hit each other so by the end of the day, I was beat. I thought I would go to bed early but ended up making beads until midnight! I got loads made and a few new pieces of jewelry done too over the past 24 hours.

Check out the latest!Here are a couple of views of "At The Playground". I told you I had ideas to add beads to one of the twisted wire necklaces! It has taken me weeks though to decide what colors to use. So finally last night I reverted to my old motto "When in doubt, pull ALL the colors out." I made these disks wonky and wobbly on purpose. I wanted a really bright and playful design. Just plan FUN! You have two view because I can't seem to get all the beads in one shot, they are all so different and unique... you got see them all!

This one is a work in progress... when this is complete it will be a "Fall Flings" necklace or bracelet depending on when I run out of beads, lol. Don't you just love the reds and oranges? I do! I can see this with a warm red v-neck sweater or a maybe a coral orange tank top in the summer.

Now this one I need help with... I can't think of a good name! HELP! Obviously these are from the "Fall Walk" sets that I had for you guys last week. I love the colors and the necklace is so shiny in person. It sparkles and I can't help but run my fingers over the soft matte finish of the etched bead. Goodness, I love this necklace! Send me your name recommendations!

I still have loads more beads in my bowl to work into more jewelry. And I will be torching again tonight after a birthday dinner with my Mother-in-law. I am starting to think I have a good chunk of the necklaces I need to fill my display time to switch gears and work on bracelets and beads for brangles/neckwires. I, naturally, share the results!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

So what is keeping you all busy these days? You know what I have been up to, lol. Anyone done with summer yet? Sick of the heat, ready for the next season? Jacob had a great soccer game yesterday three to zip over The Comets. There were dentist appointments, school shoe shopping and other boring tasks to do today. I was able to get the "Spring Flings" necklace finished! Like it?

Studio 34 has been putting the finishing touches on the Fall schedule. I will let you all know when it is out. I have classes planned for Totally Twisted, Berry Wine, Sandy Lanterns, Blue Moon and Wire Earrings too. Busy busy! But should be great fun before the holidays to learn some new things... students will be able to make some great gifts with there new skills.

Other then that, just a boring day around here. I made beads yesterday, still trying to get orders done. I talked to my Mom about coming by next week to help with the kids before the big show. I will no daoubt make beads tonight too, lol. And every night for the next 2.5 weeks for that matter, lol.

I picked the free beads winner! I remembered this time! Vannessa G. was the winner this week. Yoo Hoo Vannessa! Thanks for the support gang! But I do seem to be slipping in the rankings, maybe the new free beads will motivate you all into everyday voting. It's a few Black & Whites! Go check them out and vote.

Monday, August 21, 2006

No not that kind of summer fling. My new bracelet kind! I came in from torchign last night and was playing with my bowl full of disk beads when this design popped into my head. The lighting for the photo was not the best, you really shouldn't take pics in early morning direct sunlight, but I just wanted to snap a quick one to share. Why call it "Summer Flings"? Well, it is definately a summer color palette and you "fling" frisbees or disks so there you go... "Summer Flings".

The colors are so bright and fun, I will be making a matching necklace and lariat or two too. I need to pick up some more of the colorful spacer beads first. And I did raid my disk stach for these so now I need to make more to do that disk necklace too. But I am waiting on spacers for the all disk one so there is still time on that one. I ended up making a few earrings to match too. More just for fun bright colors! And a few pairs are missmatched too.

I won't be able to post these on my website for a little while. My wireless router is acting up and my laptop can't connent to the internet at the moment. So, no updates. But I should have a new router by the end of the week.

Anyway... I hope to keep cranking out new designs over the next few weeks in prep for "The Clothesline Arts Festival". Which means I probably won't have a whole lot of new beads between now and then, but I will do my best to get you something.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

I finally figured out how to get the photos working on blogger so I will wait here a moment while you scroll down and check out my new shoes. Okay, I'll wait, go ahead....

Aren't they fabulous?!? And my cute bag too. They are a perfect pair. When I got my new bag at www.adornjewelryandaccessories.com I also got this beautiful silk scarf. I don't actually wear scarves like this but when I saw it the bold colors and pattern popped out at me. I love finding beautiful things like this to inspire me. Do you have anything that you turn to when you are looking for inspiration? I thought it would be a great topic for conversation.

Anyway... last night we went to visit friends. They recently got a brandy new Jacuzzi and oh, was I in heaven. They had it just the right temp so that it was comfortable but not too hot. We sipped strawberry margaritas while the kids played in the water around us. You should have seen Lauren, she had one of those blow up rings around her waste and all the bubble just pushed her from one side to the other, she loved it! There were tunes on the radio too and it was gray / sprinkley weather. It was just a great evening.

I am going to work on orders today and I was planning on working on some beads for myself to start rebuilding my jewelry collection. I will share photos (as long as blogger is working) when I have new stuff!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Yeah, that's right, I am running with the cool crowd these days, lol. Considering I was the girl in high school you threatened into letting you copy homework, this pretty exciting for me. I ended up taking most of yesterday off. Lauren and I just ran some errands but I did have some highlight moments I thought needed sharing.

First... I, like many women, have a bit of a shoe issue. I love shoes. I love to look at them, try them on, love to think of fabulous outfits you could wear them with. But alas, I always become very practical by the time I reach the register and I don't buy fancy shoes. I have some nice Sketchers sneakers and 3 pairs of Old Navy flipflops, that's about it. Well, yesterday, on a whim, I stopped at Kohls. I was going through the shoes and found this lonely pair of "Candies Vintage" heels. They really wear lonely. The had no tags or box, they were just tied together with a string. Not so much as a sticker on the bottom of the shoes even. I tracked down an employee and found out they were on CLEARANCE! Only $14.95, HELLO!! I had to have them. And look it turns out they match my new purse perfectly! So I think that makes me pretty cool, being so trendy and with it.

Reason #2 for my new utter coolness, lol. I went to a ROCK concert last night! AND I knew the band! Well actually my sister is friends with the band but I was cool by association. The band is called "Out Of Line" and they were actually on MTV's "On The Brink" so they are gonna be big. I went to a party at their house on the 4th of July. They are cool kids, really laid back. Everyone calls the lead singer "Spaz", lol. I did feel like an olf fuddy duddy though, LOL, I had to wear ear plugs. It was insanely LOUD! And it was weird but I could actually hear better with the ear plugs in.

So, fabu modern trendy shoes and hanging out at a rock concert with the band... yeah, I am cool, lol.

I gotta dash... we have tons of things planned today. Gonna hit some garage sales and buy a new dishwasher... DANG IT, I just lost all coolness saying I was going to buy a dishwasher, didn't I? LOL!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Grrr.... I had this blog all updated with today's happenings plus photos, when I hit the "publish post" button my laptop froze up. Grrr.... so now I am updating on my "family pc" and unfortunately, I can't post the photos because they are on the other hard drive. So here is today happenings, minus the photos.

THE WINERIES VISIT WENT GREAT!! I was so worried that the ladies at Miles Wine Cellars and Anthony Road Wine Company wouldn't go for the "glass upgrade" I had in store for them. But surprisingly they did! They loved the new stuff. I can't even begin to tell you all the stuff they took from me. But, I will try... 12 bangles, 2 dozen earrings, 8 neckwires, all the winestoppers, bracelets, wire bangles and bigger necklaces too. You'll have to take a stroll around my website and see all the stuff marked "SOLD!". It kills me to have sold it all wholesale but considering I made more today then at Cornhill, I can't complain. But now, I have NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, left for the Clothesline Arts Fest. I will be working my tail off for the next three weeks to be ready.

I have photos for you of new earrings and a bracelet/lariat set that went today, hopefully I can post it tomorrow.

Tonight is BOOK CLUB! And I can't wait. I stayed up until 2am finishing the book (and was then up at 6am to leave this morning. Yes, I took a nap this afternoon, lol). I am especially excited because I DIDN'T like the book, lol. I can't wait to discuss it. I am going to go help Ron with dinner before I leave. I will post photos tomorrow! Oh and I stopped at my favorite shop on my ride home and treated myself to a new purse, I will show you that tomorrow too!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

I gotta make this quick. I am going down to Seneca Lake tomorrow to visit the wineries that carry my jewelry. I haven't been down since last November. They got a ton, and I mean bucket loads, to get them through the winter & spring. Now they have been out of stuff for a good month or two. It is time to restock them. I have been working on making stuff for them right along so I am pretty ready. This will be the first time they see all the glass! I can't wait. Today will be crazy insane with organizing and packaging (they like everything ready to go in gift boxes). Making last minute beads... and jewelry. It is going to take me all day! If I get any good stuff (photo worthy) I post it tomorrow... late, because it is an hour & a half drive down and I am getting there at 8:30am.

Why don't you people remind me when I forget to pick the free bead winner? LOL! Well, congrats goes to a mystery person. They didn't use their name in their email, so I only have their email address. When I know the name, I will post it and the new beads!!! AS always... thanks thanks thanks for supporting me and my beads with your votes! I do, truely, appreciate it.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Well, what do you think of the Fall beads? I, for one, love them! I could make stuff with every bead! So what doesn't go, you'll see in jewelry in one way or another. I especially like the plaids, of course. I hand shaped the oval ones, no press used, cool huh?

Today was a rather busy one. The boys went to friends house to play and I went with Lauren to teach a mini wire lesson to a neighbor of my Mom's. The lovely ladies who I taught today paid me with a big box of Godiva chocolates... yum! I am exhausted though. Lauren woke up about 3am with a phantom fever and she has been pretty cranky today. Which wears me out. I think she and I will be skipping tonight's soccer game (besides it's raining). I need to start to organize all the goodies I am taking down to the wineries on Thursday.

So... that's about it for now. New beads... mini wire lesson... ready for wineries... sick Lauren... yeah, that's all of it. I will check in again tomorrow!

_________________________________

Earlier today:

"A Fall Walk" is going to be today's Bead Box theme. I am just popping in to let all you early morning blog readers know, the beads are ready. They have NOT been posted yet but they have all been lovingly cleaned, etched, strung and photographed. I am goig to go teach a mini wire lesson around lunch time and the boys will be at a friends house. When we are home and settled in, I will be updating the Bead Box with all the goodies. There will be NINE sets so should be plenty to go around.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

I have been having an awesome beady weekend! I have gotten LOTS done for me & for you all. First check out "Eggplant Plaids".

You can click the image to enlarge it and check out these beads close up. I love them, don't you? They will be listed on Ebay tonight. And don't forget... "Caramel Cream Tweeds" end tonight... so go bid on 'em! Back to the "Eggplant Plaids"... there are only 11 in this set compared to 12 in the last set. The was a burr on the end of one of the mandrels that damaged a bead pretty badly as I was removing it. 5 of the 11 are etched... I am loving etching all a sudden! I would lvoe to hear your thoughts on these... do you even like this plaid direction I am going in? I can't seem to stop making them!

Now... check out "Autumn Threads".

For those of you who have been around for the whole summer, you'll remember a similar necklace done in this style but made with blues & greens. This is the fall version of that fabulous necklace. And I have to admit, I like this color combo better! I wore it yesterday ( I had to test the clasp). And I got so many compliments on it. It is the same colors are the "Caramel Cream Tweed" beads and all the beads with copper on them have been etched to reveal that lush turquoisey green. I wore this with jeans and a brown tank top so anyone that thinks it's too fancy, get over it! It is perfect with a brown suit or a tank & jeans!

Another little goodie I cooked up this week is this wire bracelet.

The beads are by "Seas Of Glass". I saw them on special at her site and just had to have some. They were a great price and look so yummy in person. She used raku powder on the surface of the beads (somethign I don't have) and it give each bead a unique look. You all know by know that I LOVE raku so I am going to have to find me some of that powder.

I need to dash, Andrew is at a birthday party and it's time to pick him up. Before I go, one last thing to tell you... I WILL HAVE BEAD BOX BEADS TOMORROW!!!!! Come back and see!

Friday, August 11, 2006

Dang... I just logged on to update and noticed that this is blog post #200. I should get a cake or something like they do on tv when a series has it's 200th episode. Not really, but it's a thought, lol.

Thanks you so much for all the supportive emails you are sending me, gals. I appreciate it. And I am having a MUCH better day today. I woke up early and made myself some coffee then fired up the kiln. I spent about 4 1/2 hours making beads. I filled the kiln right up! I got a new set for Ebay finished, which you all can help me name again. I got a bunch of beads made for bangles to go over to the wineries AND I got the beads made for a new "Autumn Threads" necklace. I am on a roll. Lets hope the roll continues straight through the weekend. Tomorrow I will finish up bead box beads (I have 3 sets done so far) and work on more discs plus the beads for another new necklace I have dancing around in my head.

Here is your sneak peek at the new Ebay set.

I am thinking "Eggplant Plaid", what do you think? This is just a snipet, the full set is stunning. There are a dozen plain nuggets all purples and greens! I will share a photos when they are ready.

Anyway... I plan to hop in the shower now then go run some errands "kid free". Any of you Moms ever heard of "Kid free" errands? It's amazing... you go to the store and you don't take any kids with you! And then when you walk in the aisles, amazingly you remember everything you need to pick up, you don't have to race out because no one is bored and messing around with stuff on the shelves... and best of all, if your lucky, your Target has a Starbucks in it and you can have a whole Frappacino to yourself! LOL!

It is that time of year... my dear friend Lindsey's birthday (Aug 13th) and my half birthday (Feb 13th). We have made it tradion now to go out to lunch or dinner on your special days to celebrate. And "Simply Crepes" is our favorite place to go. We are hoping to get out tonight! I can't wait. I will be on cloud nine! A day of making beads, kid free errands, and dinner with my friend... I couldn't ask for a better day!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Man am I beat. Summer is really getting to me. Maybe it is just a bad day but I am in a terrible, tired mood. I probably shouldn't update my blog while in this mood but oh well. Maybe blogging will improve things.

I had a sudden urge yesterday afternoon to spruce up my homepage a bit, what do you think? A few of you sent emails saying you liked it. I like it too. I wish I had a way to have my blog right on the homepage instead of the photos but I am not that computer savy. I tried to pick out photos with beads in all purples & greens to go with my logo. And I was a ble to find a bunch. I am still keeping the oh-so-very-important "green triangles" around. This time they are marking the "Ebay Auctions" link since I have an auction running. But when there are Bead Box Beads, they'll point to that.

I had every intention of making Bead Box Beads last night but it was a rough one around here (which did not help to improve my mood in the least bit). Ron decided to go golfing and I had all the kids all day and all evening. It's funny, when I shared my evening with the gals over at one of the forums, I got a response that said "I'd be a really happy Mom if it weren't for all these kids", lol. And that fits me to a tee. I love my kids more then anything else in the world, and I would do anything for them. But at the same time, my world doesn't revolve around them, I need to be acknowledged as a person to. When I have them for 15-16 hours straight with no help, I go looney. That's why I have a husband to help me keep sane. Anyway, back to the evening, I tried all day to do everything to keep everyone happy. We had a lot of errands to run during the day but they were good for me and got to have popcicles. I made them their favorite dinner, spagetti. Then we headed out to soccer. After the game I took them to the playground for a while. It was when we got home that all hell broke loose.

I sent Jacob to take a shower, had Andrew pick out a prebedtime movie and I went to check on my auction. With in seconds, Andrew was downstairs crying so hard he was hyperventilating and couldn't speak. All I got out of him was "Jacob... Pokemon cards... in the shower." I went upstairs, pulled Jacob out of the shower (amongst a floor covered in wet Pokemon cards) and sent him to bed without dessert (oh what a horrible punishment). Apparently 8 is the new 13 because he went on to scream himself horse that he wasn't going to bed, that it was all Andrew's fault and that he was running away from home. I was able to get out of them that they were both to blame. Andrew was poking Jacob through the shower curtain so Jacob pushed him which cause the Pokemon cards to go into the shower. So both were sent to bed. Both faught and battled not to go and by time Ron got home I had enough.

Needless to day, I was in no mood to make beads, I just went to bed and read. Then tossed a turned till about 2 am. Which would probably explain why I am tired and cranky today. I did try to start the morning off with happy smiles and pleasent "Good Mornings" with "let's try to have a better day". But for the most part they have been bickering all day. I called Ron and asked him to take tomorrow off work to give me a break. And I told him he is making dinner tonight so I can lock myself away in the studio. LOL! I so appreciate him and how understanding and helpful he is. I couldn't not do this without his help.

We are heading over to the library in a little bit, books and movies are due. Keep your fingers crossed that the kids don't decide to run up and down the aisles. LOL. I hope to have some new beads for you soon!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

So there you go, I went with the "Caramel Cream Tweeds" as the name for the new beads. I just couldn't shake the name so I knew it was for them. Thanks Sarebear for the suggestion!

They look a little different this evening then they did this morning. They had a few hour long manicure and pedicure, lol. I noticed Sunday night that when you etch Copper Green it turns a lush turquoisy green color. So with help from the women over at wetcanvas.com, I learned how to "spot" etch beads. I didn't want the whole set etched, just the copper areas. I hand painted each bead with nailpolish (that's why I called it a manicure & pedicure) covering all the areas except the copper and then dipped each bead in the liquid etching solution. I let them soak for about 5 minutes each (yes, one at a time) and gently washed each one. The nailpolish came right off leaving the copper the rich green color you see with a soft satin finish and the rest nice and glossy. What do you think? I have never spent so many hours on a single set of beads. I really hope they go over well on Ebay... the auction starts in just a little bit. Go check them out! And bid... PLEASE!

After dinner the 5 of us went to play tennis for a bit. The weather was just perfect so it was a nice night to play. We are no professionals, most of the time we can't get it over the net (at least I can't.. Ron can, he's pretty good.) I would like to say we had a blast, but Lauren was a huge pest and we spent more time trying NOT to hit her then we did hitting the ball. Grrrr... kinda tiring. I wanted to make beads for a little while tonight and finish up the set I started yesterday but it is just going to have to wait until tomorrow. I am beat.

OH.... Free Beads winner.... congrats Deedee! You are this week's free beads winner!!!!!!! I will post the new set tomorrow... thanks for all the support everyone.

Monday, August 07, 2006

First... you gotta click the image of the new beads and check out the larger photo. Wow. I love these. I want everyone of the for myself. I just took this photo on the porch. I was only able to get this one pic before the camera batteries died, grrr... but I will recharge them tonight and get the good photos done tomorrow. At least for now you get a better view of them then the one yesterday. They still don't have a name... I liked the suggestion from yesterday "Caramel Creme Tweed" but I also like "Autumn Wrappings". I will know for sure by tomorrow, keep sendign me your suggestions.

Now Sea Breeze... FUN! We had a blast just as I predicted. We got there about 11:00 and started with a ride on the bumper cars. Wegmans provided a huge buffet of hots, hamburgers, salads, pastas, and desserts... lots of sodas and endless ice cold bottled water. I got a few pics before those dang batteries died and I will resize them tomorrow. After lunch we spent a few hours on the water slides. Yooo Hoooo! The new ride "Helix", not worth the 45 minute wait according to Ron & Jacob. We decided that we were all pretty whipped by 5:00 so we headed home. Just in time for Jacob's soccer game.

Man was soccer a load of fireworks tonight. Jacob's league is a "instructional" league and for the 2 yrs he has been in it, the "refs" (as known as 13 yr old boys with a whistle) have never called things like "illegal throw ins" or "sliding". They are 8 for crying out loud, they don't slide on purpose. So, all a sudden, tonight they are calling everything. And I mean everything. Parents were all wondering what was going on, and the coaches too. Our coach after one call had to ask "what was that one for?" When we heard it was for "tripping", the parents were all saying amongst themselves..."what?" "are you serious?" With in minutes the groundskeeper comes over and starts yelling at the parents telling us to calm down or we would be asked to leave. It was wild because no one was upset, no one was loud, no one was being unruly. We were sitting in our yawn chairs whispering to each other. The guy was way out of line repremanding the adults in front of the kids with out a reason. So several of us Mom's will be calling the morning to complain about this groundskeeper. Just crazy...

So, that's about it... fun day... beautiful beads... crazy soccer game... now time for bed, lol. I got a start on another set of plaids this morning that I will work on finishing up tomorrow... what till you see these new ones! I love this style!

Sunday, August 06, 2006

My bead mojo wasn't lost! I found it! It was just hiding in a Frank Lloyd Wright/Arts & Crafts/Piet Mandrain/Fall-ish/Bungalo set of beads. Check 'em out.

Yes, yes.. the photo is terrible but I haven't been this excited about a set of beads since my "Melted Vinyl" set. I couldn't wait to show you so I just snapped a shot on the deck quick. I worked on these all morning. Putting a hold on the lime/coral/turq beads was the best thing for me this morning. I went up to my rod rack... pulled out dark chocolate brown and transparent light brown... then I went for a rod of copper green and coral orange. EEEEKKKK! These are cool! I will clean, string and photograph them properly tomorrow but I just had to share them with you. I know I have made a good set when I show them to Ron and he says "Oh WOW!" instead of "how much are those?". He wants to call them something chocolate truffle-esque but I haven't decided yet. I will be listing these ones on Ebay on Tuesday. But as a blog regular... you can always send me a private bid before I list them. I did get a few other Bead Box beads done too. But I want to hold off a few days on those. Right now I only have a few so I need to make you more. Okay?

I have to say sorry to my Mom... Sorry MOM! Mom & Dad came by to swim and visit while I was working on these. I couldn't pull myself away from the torch. I was on such a roll. After 3 days of crap, I was suddenly getting great beads out, I couldn't just stop in the middle of a set. I wasn't a very good host while they were here. Hope you aren't too mad Mom.

The party yesterday was very nice... and every one is all giddy for Seabreeze tomorrow. I will chat with you more then!

Saturday, August 05, 2006

This is what Ron and I worked on for most of the day yesterday. Well, Ron worked on the desk and I worked on cleaning the garage and moving that green shelving over to the right more. But I was there step by step giving him measurements, tell him just what I wanted. It turned out great!

See how it extends my current work area. The kiln is right close by. It was only about 2 feet away before but now it is right there next to me, it's perfect. And it is nice not having the shelving there. Much easier to keep tidy. And here is my favorite part...

This is the most important piece of equipement I have! My GLASS! And I love having it all sorted and easy to see. I know exactly how many rods of each color I have and what I need to order. See all those rods of blue at the bottom? I didn't even know I had that much of that one color, now I know!

I snapped these shots this morning right before getting ready to make some beads. And my bead mojo is still gone. I tried some new stuff, "squeeze" beads. And I did some fun striped lentils. I am sure once they come out of the kiln later tonight, my mojo will return. What tends to happen to me is that I think everything is turning out terrible. Which puts me in a miserable mood, then I open up the kiln and realize these are good. Then my mojo magically returns. I will let you know how it goes.

We have a big family picnic this afternoon. Ron's cousin just graduated from college. He is 34 and had dropped out of high school around 10th grade. He never got his GED or anything, so this is a really big accomplishment for him. And the family wants to celebrate his efforts. There is going to be around 80 people there, WOW! Should be fun. Joey, Ron's cousin, plays poker with Ron most of the times he goes, so all the poker buddies will be there too. I think they are planning card games in the evening.

Tomorrow is going to be a lazy, do nothing, pool looks mighty inviting kinda day. So I hope to get a more productive torch session in. I may put a hold on the lime/coral/turq sets. Sometimes if I switch colors it spices up my imagination and then I can come back to the colors with a better idea of what I want to make. And I think I may be feeling a little Fall-ish, hmmmm.....

OH! Monday is going to be a really really fun day! We are going to Seabreeze. Our local amusement park. Before my Mom went out of work on disability, she worked at Wegmans. A large grocery store chain here in Rochester/Upstate NY. Well, Wegmans was named the #1 place to work in America so each store is gettin it's own Seabreeze day. For $10 a person you get to ride all the rides and eat all day! What a deal! My mom is still friends with a lot of the people at her store and they extended the invitation to us. I used to work there after high school while I was in college. I was in the deli... how would you like that sliced? LOL. I will be sure to bring the camera along!

Friday, August 04, 2006

I have said this before... every once in a while a day is just a bad bead day. On a bad bead day, no matter what I do, I can't get the glass to do what I want it to do! Grrrr.... today is one of those days. I tried to get in a zone this morning... no luck. Then Ron spent the whole afternoon building my new desk... tried again after dinner... three crap beads later, I knew... no new beads.

I had planned to make beads last night but around 8:00 I found my eyes barely able to stay open. I hadn't realized how tired the events of the day had made me so I said to myself, I have all day Friday to make beads. And I went to bead early. Humh... I should pushed through the sleepiness and fired on. Oh well.

Anyway, did you catch what I said a few lines ago? Ron spent this afternoon building my new desk. It has gotten too dark in the garage to take pictures now but I promise I'll show you tomorrow. It is perfect. Just the right size for vice and my kiln. Plus a new handy dandy rod holder.

I am going to cut this short, Ron just popped open a bottle of wine and headed out to the deck... I want to go join in for a glass!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Every once in a while you get a wonderful reminder why you have the kids you have, lol. The boys had friends over today and it made me so thankful that I have been blessed with the kids I have. Even though I think they can be rotten and terrible, at least they aren't like the ones over today! I don't know but I just don't think it is right for a 10 yr old to still be in third grade, and then while swimming in the pool take a birthday gift away from a 7 yr old and say "I am the guest so you have it give it to me if I want it." But I maybe that is just me.... I don't know. And you can bet when I tell another parent that I will be picking my kids up at 2pm, I won't show up at five to 4pm with out calling. How can people do that, really? First it is just rude to show up two hours late... to anything, let alone your kids at someone else's home. Second, they don't know me from a hole in the wall. I certainly wouldn't leave my children in the care of a stranger for 5 and a half hours.

Anyway, I got in some beading time yesterday before a huge light show! We had some really wild lightening go through about 11pm last night. It was light up a dark room so bright you could read a book kind of lightening. I was able to get an order finished up and 25 more of the discs for my necklace. So now I have 60 of them just 50 or so more to go, lol. But I thought I would show you a pic of the order. Catherine loved the color combo and wanted some similar to the "All In A Row" set. I was happy to make them. I am LOVIN' making plaids! Check them out.

Unfortunately, it was so hot and I was sweating so bad that I couldn't keep my safety glasses on my eyes, lol. so I didn't get to work on the new beads. But hopefully tonight. It is still muggy but loads better then it was yesterday. And Ron took tomorrow off work so I should get loads of bead time in then too :)

Oh... I got my full refund today from that who big tado the other day, thank heavens! It was such a relief to see it post in our account. And we changed the credit card numbers too so we should be in the clear. *sigh*

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Since the heat index has it feeling like 107 degrees out right now, the oh so very wise officials at our local parks & recs department have decided to cancel soccer tonight. Though I highly doubt their wisdom when they chose BLACK shirts for my son's summer soccer team, lol. I was talking to the wife of the coach on our team. She said they had like 15 different colors to choose from but the officials insisted on colors like black and midnight blue. Now who's the moron? LOL!

Check out this action shot I got of Jacob Monday night...

When I showed him the picture on the back of the camera during a break he said "wow, I look cool." I have a bunch of others where his body seems to be defying gravity. But this one was my favorite. No, that isn't his actual team shirt. His real shirt was lost somewhere on Laundry Mountain so this is one that was in his drawer. It works.

Speaking of Laundry Mountain, that is where I have spent most of today, lol. I washed about 8 loads of laundry yesterday and dumped it all on the living room floor. So it has taken a big chunk of my afternoon to fold it all. Unfortunately, this is one lesson I will never learn. LOL, I will always have a ton of laundry to do and I will never keep up on it. No matter how hard I try.

As I am typing this, it has suddenly got very very dark out, and it's flashing lightening and I am hearing booming. Don't you just love summer popcorn thunderstorms! I do! It is suddenly raining buckets.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who have been sending me emails in about yesterday's stupidity. Don't worry about me, I am not beating myself up over it too bad. I know I was taken advantage of. I really thought, if it was ligitimate, it would be great exposure for my business. Unfortunately, it's not ligit. So what can I do. Just keep watching my accounts to make sure that refund posts. But I do really appreciate all your kind words and "it happened to me too..." messages, so thanks!

Okay, now that it is raining, and soccer is cancelled... it means Ron won't be golfing either and tonight will be devoted to making beads! YEAH! I should go out and prep mandrels this afternoon so I am all ready to go. Hopefully I can get a few of those lime/coral/turquoise sets worked on. We will see... Last night was just too hot. You all understand right? I bet it is just as hot where you all are. Let's have a little "Who's Had The Hottest Day" contest... (maybe this will get more of you to post your responses on my blog here ) use the comment button below, let me know what your high temp was today and who ever has the highest gets an extra ticket in the Free Beads Bucket!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

This is going to be a long post so, sit back, grab something cold to drink and start reading.

First the good stuff!

AMY H is this week's free beads winner! YOO HOO! Congrats AMY! I even have new free beads posted! Aren't you happy, no waiting a week to see what they will be, lol. The new ones are actually some I made last night from a whole bunch that will be in new necklace design.

Here is an "In Progress" photo for you all. If I am adding right, I think there are going to be around a 100 of these discs in one necklace. And this is just the start of the colors you'll see in it. I am using all transparents in our favorite blues and greens. Gotta love blue & green! And keeping in the blues and greens theme is another new necklace to show you... "Caught In Waves". I don't know if you all realize this or not, but I am just as addicted to beads as you are! LOL! I am always looking at beads when I am on the internet and once in a while, I come across a great set that I just have to have. And these are one of those. The beads were made by lampwork artist Yee Kwan over at www.theglassturtle.com . Here encasing and scroll work is just killer. And this set was made with the highly saught after "Olympia Rain" glass by Double Helix Glass Works. (Since so many of you buy beads, and not glass rods, I will tell you... there has been a run on the glass made by this American glass maker. It is highly reactive and very beautiful glass... it is also very very hard to get, I have tried.)

I wish you could hold these beads in your own hands. They are beautiful and have so much depth. I really love them. They look like they have tumbled along the ocean floor. I made sterling wire wrapped scrolls in a "wave" look to go with them. I would love to hear what you think!

Now for the bad stuff and the reason this post is going to be long...

I have been the victim of a scam. I feel like such a moron for falling for it. But as Jo over at www.lampworkart.com said "Thing is nice people are the easiest victims. " So if anything I can feel a little better knowing this happened because I am nice, lol.

So here is the story...

A few weeks ago I got this letter in the mail that said I was being invited for inclusion in the "Empire Who's Who of Executive and Professional Women". It also said that there was no cost to be included and I thought, it's free what could it hurt to fill out the little post card. So I did, and I sent it in. Well, today, I got a phone call from a woman at Empire Who's Who, named Wedny Rosen. She called to "interview" me for bio in the publication. Of course, she called while the kids were wild and crazy... she said all the right things, she stroked my ego just the right way and I was so flustered/confused/convinced by the end of the call, I had paid $508.95 to be encluded as a "Gold Member".

5 minutes later, I felt sick to my stomach. What was I thinking, I am such a moron!?! First of all, duh, I can't afford $500 for a bio in a book, two... I just had an unsettling feeling it was a scam and finally... dummy, it is $500! So immediately called her back to say no, cancel it, I don't want it. Wouldn't you know it... she wasn't available. So, I called the credit card company and said I wanted to put a stop payment on the transaction. They said "too late" it has already been processed and approved. So I said, I want to dispute it. I was transfered to the dispute center who was able to get a real preson on the phone at "Empire" who said they could take care of it. I told the agent at the credit card company to go ahead and transfer me. Turns out the "person" that I was transfered to was a secratary. But after an earfull from me, she said I needed to speak to Daniel Gray. That he handled all these situations. I had to leave a voicemail but the secratary said I would be called back with in the hour. NOT! I was not called back, I had to call again.

Long, long, phone call summed up... I spent 45 minutes saying over and over again "I DON'T WANT TO BE ENVOLVED WITH THIS GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK!" This guy on the other end was good... let me tell you. He was saying everything he could to get me to let them have my money. Then he throws this loop at me that at this point they have encured fees. Fees my ass. I said what fees. He said that their whole process is electronic and my information had already been processed, yada yada yada. What he is/was getting at was if I wanted to cancel, he'd be charging me $100. He finally twisted the conversation enough to convince me that I should get the "Platinum Package" and they would give me space on their homepage and they would refund me half. So I would only be out $258. I thought at least half back was better then nothing. So, I agreed.

Then came a call from Ron. And if you haven't figured it out by now, Ron is very very very froogle. He hates hates hates wasting money. I told him everything and he made me call back again and demand the full amount back. Somewhere in there I also googled "Empire who's who scam" and found dozens of blogs about the dummies that fall for this scam. I did call again and I was able to get Danial Gray mad at me enough to say that he didn't want me in his registry and that he was going to refund my full $508.95. Thanks GOD!

I called the credit card company and they say it will take 3-5 days for the refund to post in our account. Needless to say, I will be checking the account every 5 minutes until it shows up. And if it doesn't show up, I will be calling every day until it does. Whatever I have to do. Trust me when I say, my lesson has been learned. I am a little sad that I have to look at every oppertunity that is presented to me as a scam but I think it is the only way to protect yourself now a days. I hate being so niave but it is who I am, I give people the benefit of the doubt but now I am a little more hardened then I was yesterday. And I feel about as big as an ant. I wonder if there is soap strong enough to wash this big "SUCKER" label off my forehead.

As anyway... you have been warned! Don't give any information to these people if they get your name and address. Be smarter then I was. And you have my word, when you share your name and address with me, it will never be seen by anyone else, ever!

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The text, images, tutorials, and designs on this blog are the sole property of Kerry Bogert and Kab's Creative Concepts and protected by copyright law. Do not copy, reproduce, or represent any content without the expressed written permission from the artist.